The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. Originally intended for New York City progressives, its readership is now national. For anyone who wants to be alerted by email whenever this newsletter is updated (usually weekly), please send your email address and let me know what state you live in (so I can keep track of my readership).

Friday, July 30, 2010

Major Action Alert: Protect our Health and Stop the Overuse of Antibiotics in Livestock!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently testified before Congress to the definitive link between routine antibiotic use in food animal production and antibiotic resistance in humans - the first time these agencies have presented a unified message on the issue.

Yet the FDA may now weaken a regulation to make it even easier for veterinarians to give antibiotics to food animals on industrial farms. And while a recent FDA Draft Guidance (see above) on antibiotic use in food-producing animals states that "using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production or growth enhancing purposes in food-producing animals is not in the interest of protecting and promoting the public health," the document only recommends measures to curb some overuse of the drugs. Now is not the time for fewer regulations and unenforceable recommendations! It is time for definitive action that forces the livestock industry to end the overuse of antibiotics.

Tell the FDA and the White House to stand up for human health and end the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. TAKE ACTION!

This fight has been a long one, but we finally have a President with the intelligence to realize what needs to be done. And he and the FDA are taking action. But they are hearing from big agribusiness which wants to keep misusing antibiotics despite the risk to human health. Let's make sure Obama and the FDA know they have our support.